Tubular conveyors



United States Patent 3,250,379 TUBULAR CGNVEYGRS John M. Leach, P1). Box 350, Port Jefferson, N.Y. Filed Sept. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 400,014 6 Claims. (Cl. 198-168) The present invention relates to conveyors. More particularly, it relates to conveyors of the tubular type wherein a series of pushers termed flights propel material along the interior of a tube.

The present invention is an improvement on the invention disclosed in co-pending application Serial Number 222,330, filed September 10, 1962, now Patent No. 3,216,- 553, for Tubular Conveyors. The two inventions have some elements in common which have been given the same reference characters in the two disclosures to facilitate the description of the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pusher-linkage assembly for a tubular conveyor which has a minimum number of parts.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a pusher-linkage assembly for a tubular conveyor which can be assembled and disassembled in a minimum of time with little effort.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pusher-linkage assembly having a bearing which will function with a minimum of wear.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a pusher-linkage assembly having a high strength factor relative to its size and weight.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pusher-linkage assembly which can be fabricated with a maximum of economy in regard to both material and labor.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon recourse to the following specification and drawings which disclose what is now considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partly sectioned side view of a pusherlinkage assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a bearing segment, and

FIG. 3 is an end view of a bearing segment of the pusher-linkage assembly of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the pusher-linkage assembly of the present invention comprises a fiight which has linkages 12 swivelly connected to it through universal joints of a special type which will be described later in detail.

The fiight 10 comprises a hollow body formed by a sleeve or tube 24 having a cap '22 positioned on each end. The cap 22 shown to the left in FIG. 1 is integrally formed on the tube 24 and the other cap 22 is connected to the tube 24 by suitable threads 26. It is to be understood that the caps 22 can be suitably connected to the tube 24 in any other desired manner.

Each of the caps 22 has suitably formed therein a concave bearing surace 45 which is partially hemispherical and generated about a center point 50. A concave conforming bearing surface 46, see FIGS. 2 and 3, formed on at least two segments 36 is closely seated within the concave bearing surface 45. The segments 36 have an interior surface 39 shaped to snugly fit around a conforming exterior surface 29 which forms the transition between the main body of a link bar 12 and an enlarged head 27 formed in any suitable manner as by forging, cold heading, etc. on each end of the link bar 12. The top of each head 27 is preferably a hemispherical surface also generated about the center point 50. The segments 36, the head 27 and the adjacent portion of the main body of the link bar 12 form a bearing subassembly 28. Three or more segments can be used if desired instead of two.

Each of the caps 22 is suitably provided with a recess 23 to fit a conventional spanner wrench to facilitate the separation and tightening of the threads 26.

A compressible, resilient member 25 which is preferably in the form of a tube formed of a suitable plastic material is positioned within the tube 24 and wedged between the opposing heads 27 so as to at all times retain the bearing surfaces 4-5 and 46 within each of the two caps 22 in tight contact so as to exclude all outside materials even if the articulated series of pusher-linkage assemblies should become slack at any time during operation of the tubular conveyor of which they form a part. It will be understood that the pusher linkage assemblies 13-12 of the present invention travel within a tubular casing and are propelled by a suitable drive as described in the above identified co-pending application.

The cavity 31 in the member 25 is filled with a suitable lubricant when lubrication of the bearing surfaces 45-46 is desired.

A flexible gasket washer 30 is seated within a recess 33 formed in the outer end of each cap 22 and held in place by a split ring 32 seated within a groove 34 formed in the wall of the recess 33. The gasket 30 provides a seal over the junction 51 between the bearing surfaces 45 and 46 and further excludes the entrance of any outside material as well as prevents the egress of any lubricant.

A material pusher element or member 16 is provided with an opening having a center laterally displaced from the geometrical center of the pusher member '16 and is positioned with the opening 35 surrounding the exterior of the tube 24 so as to enable the pusher member 16 to rotate relative to the tube 24 but be prevented from any substantial side movement by the caps 22.

To effect assembly of the pusher-linkage, a link bar 12 is moved so as to insert a head 27 through each cap 22 from the outside, the caps being disassembled at this time. To this end, the diameter of the opening in each cap at the point 51 is made Very slightly larger than the maximum diameter of the heads 27. Each head 27 is inserted through its respective cap sufiiciently to extend out of the opposite end of the cap or tube 24. A pair of segments is then placed around the surface 29 as shown in FIG. 1 on each of the two link bars 12 and each link bar is then drawn back relative to its respective cap 22 to seat the bearing surfaces 45 and 46. The resilient member 25 is then inserted in the tube 24 and the cap 22 having the threads is threaded onto the sleeve or tube 24- and tightened. The gasket 30 and retainer ring 32 is then applied to each cap end and the assembly is complete. This operation is performed at each end of each link bar 12 until the desired articulation length is obtained which is then fed into the tubular casing at some closable opening provided for this purpose and the two loose ends of link bars 12 are assembled into a flight 10 as above described and the articulation is installed in the tubular conveyor of which it forms a part.

The foregoing description of the physical embodiment of the present invention is to be considered as illustrative and not limitative as many changes and modifications can be made in the physical structure without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A pusher-linkage assembly for a material conveyor comprising an elongated hollow body having an opening at each end, a material pusher element mounted on said hollow body, a continuous bearing having an opening therethrough and a hemispherical seat positioned within each end of said hollow body surrounding the adjacent body opening with the seat facing inwardly of said body,

a link member extending into the Opening in each end of said hollow body and provided with an enlarged head which can pass through the openings in the hollow body and the continuous bearing, and segmental elements having bearing surface areas which conform to the said hemispherical bearing seated therein and surrounding the link member between the said enlarged head and adjacent bearing to prevent the said enlarged head from passing outwardly through said-openings.

I 2. A pusher linkage assembly for a material conveyor comprising an elongated hollow body having an opening at each end, a material pusher element mounted on said hollow body, a continuous bearing having an opening therethrough and a hemispherical seat positioned within each end of said hollow body surrounding the adjacent body opening with the seat facing inwardly of said body, a link member extending into each opening in said hollow body and provided with an enlarged head which can pass through the openings in the hollow body and the continuous bearing, each enlarged head terminating in a hemispherical shape, and segmental elements having bearing surface areas which conform to the said hemispherical between the said enlarged head and adjacent bearing to bearing seated therein andsurrounding the link member prevent the said enlarged head from passing outwardly through said openings.

3. A pusher linkage assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the hemispherical surfaces of the bearing and link member head are both generated about the same point.

4. A pusher linkage assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the hemispherical surfaces of the bearing and link member head are both generated about the same point but with radii of different lengths.

5. A pusher linkage assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein a compressible element is disposed within the said hollow body between'and in forcible contact with the two hemispherical surfaces on the enlarged heads of the link members.

6. A pusher linkage assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein the compressible element is hollow and filled with a lubricant.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Examiner. 

1. A PUSHER-LINKAGE ASSEMBLY FOR A MATERIAL CONVEYOR COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HOLLOW BODY HAVING AN OPENING AT EACH END, A MATERIAL PUSHER ELEMENT MOUNTED ON SAID HOLLOW BODY, A CONTINUOUS BEARING HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH AND A HEMISPHERICAL SEAT POSITIONED WITHIN EACH END OF SAID HOLLOW BODY SURROUNDING THE ADJACENT BODY OPENING WITH THE SEAT FACING INWARDLY OF SAID BODY, A LINK MEMBER EXTENDING INTO THE OPENING IN EACH END OF SAID HOLLOW BODY AND PROVIDED WITH AN ENLARGED HEAD WHICH CAN PASS THROUGH THE OPENINGS IN THE HOLLOW BODY AND THE CONTINUOUS BEARING, AND SEGMENTAL ELEMENTS HAVING BEARING SURFACE AREAS WHICH CONFORM TO THE SAID HEMISPHERICAL BEARING SEATED THEREIN AND SURROUNDING THE LINK MEMBER BETWEEN THE SAID ENLARGED HEAD AND ADJACENT BEARING TO PREVENT THE SAID ENLARGED HEAD FROM PASSING OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID OPENINGS. 